Reagan’s Secret Service hero dies at 85

The man widely credited for saving Ronald Reagan’s life from an assassination attempt passed away from congestive heart failure Friday at the age of 85, the New York Times reports.

Parr was the lead agent the day John Hinckley Jr. shot Reagan and three others.

Jerry Parr was assigned by the Secret Service to cover the close-body protection detail of President Reagan, which is considered one of the most prestigious and unsafe assignments that a Secret Service agent can aspire to have.

Doctors concluded that Reagan was suffering from internal massive bleeding and were able to stop the hemorrhaging when the president began to lose more than half of his blood.

In the limo, Parr radioed, “Rawhide is OK”, using Reagan’s Secret Service code name.

Parr was born on September 16, 1930, in Birmingham, Alabama, and the Air Force veteran joined the Secret Service in 1962 before finally retiring in 1985 so he could become an ordained minister.

After Reagan complained of chest pains and showed blood on his lips, Parr redirected the limousine to George Washington Hospital.

“Thirty years later, I look back on that historic day and know for certain that his life was saved by dedicated agents, excellent training, good equipment, outstanding medical care, President Reagan’s robust constitution – and the grace of God, ” he wrote. He wasn’t present during the two attempts on Ford’s life. Besides Reagan, he also took charge of handling President Jimmy Carter.

Parr left the White House in 1982 when he was promoted to assistant director of protective research.

After Parr’s retirement, he visited the Oval Office, where the wisecracking Reagan said: “You aren’t going to throw me over the couch are you?”

Reacting to Parr’s death late Friday, Nancy Reagan said he was “one of my true heroes”. Noting his sense of humor, she added: “It’s no wonder that he and my husband got along so well”. His parents later moved to Miami, where Parr spent most of his time with his unemployed father at bars and hunting small game for meals, according to his biography posted on his website. He lived in Washington.